TheNeisseria gonorrhoeaeBiofilm Matrix Contains DNA, and an Endogenous Nuclease Controls Its Incorporation

ABSTRACTNeisseria gonorrhoeaehas been shown to produce biofilms both in experimental flow chambers and in the human host. Our laboratory has shown that extracellular DNA is an essential component of the gonococcal matrix. We have also identified a gene inN. gonorrhoeae, which we designatednuc. This gene has homology with the staphylococcus-secreted thermonuclease. Our laboratory has characterizednucthrough phenotypic analysis of anucdeletion mutant. Biofilms grown with this strain are significantly thicker and of greater biomass than theN. gonorrhoeae1291 parent strain. Confocal microscopy indicates that the increased size of the mutant biofilms appears to be due to elevated amounts of extracellular DNA in the biofilm matrix. Chromosomal complementation of thenucmutation restored the wild-type biofilm phenotype. In addition, we have cloned and expressed the Nuc protein inEscherichia coli, and our data indicate that it has the ability to digest multiple forms of DNA and is a thermonuclease. The ability of Nuc to digest DNA also extends to its ability to disrupt established gonococcal biofilms through degradation of the DNA in the biofilm matrix. Our studies indicate that theN. gonorrhoeaebiofilm contains DNA and that the Nuc protein appears to play a role in biofilm formation and remodeling.

A fraction of mouse sperm chromatin is organized in nucleosomal hypersensitive domains enriched in retroposon DNA

We have characterized a nuclease hypersensitive chromatin fraction from murine spermatozoa. Endogenous nuclease activity can be induced in mouse epididymal spermatozoa by appropriate stimuli and cause the localized degradation of chromosomal DNA. Based on these observations, we have isolated nuclease hypersensitive chromatin regions released from spermatozoa in the supernatant of pelleted sperm cells, and have cloned and characterized the DNA. Gel electrophoresis of end-labelled released DNA fragments showed a typical nucleosomal distribution. Peripherally distributed nucleohistones were visualized by immunofluorescence in sperm nuclei, and histones were identified by western blot in sperm chromatin. Moreover, the released DNA is enriched in retroposon DNA from a variety of families. FISH and immunofluorescence analysis showed that retroposon DNA and nucleohistone chromatin co-localize and are both peripherically distributed in nuclei of spermatozoa. In contrast, a major satellite DNA probe, used for control, co-localizes with highly condensed chromatin in the central region of sperm nuclei. The nuclear Ran and RCC1 proteins were also visualized in the dorsal margin of sperm nuclei, and were abundantly released with the hypersensitive chromatin fraction. Together, these results indicate that nucleohistone chromatin fraction(s) with typical features of ‘active’ chromatin are present in murine spermatozoa, are hypersensitive to nuclease cleavage, enriched in retroposon DNA and organized in nucleosomal domains. These observations suggest that nucleohistone domains identify a fraction of the sperm genome which may be functional during early embryogenesis.

Inhibition of cytotoxic T lymphocyte-induced target cell DNA fragmentation, but not lysis, by inhibitors of DNA topoisomerases I and II.

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) kill their target cells via a contact-dependent mechanism that results in the perturbation of the target cell's plasma membrane and the fragmentation of the target cell's DNA into nucleosomal particles. The membrane disruption is presumed to be due to the action of perforin, while the DNA fragmentation is thought to be by the activation of an endogenous nuclease(s). DNA topoisomerases I and II are nuclear enzymes with inherent endonuclease activities. We have investigated their role in the CTL-induced DNA fragmentation process. We report that in CTL killing assays, the treatment of target cells with topoisomerase I and II inhibitors blocks the CTL-induced DNA fragmentation process, but not the lysis of the target cell.

An improved method for the rapid isolation of chromosomal DNA from Mycoplasma spp.

A method is described for the rapid isolation of chromosomal deoxyribonucleic acid from species of the genus Mycoplasma. The method involves incubation of washed cells at elevated temperature in the presence of an ionic detergent, chelating agents, and proteinase K prior to the removal of residual protein and ribonucleic acid with ribonuclease and chloroform. It results in a good yield of high molecular weight material that is shown to be free of endogenous nuclease and substantially free of protein or ribonucleic acid contamination without the use of phenol. The isolated DNA is shown to be an excellent substrate for restriction endonuclease digestion and ligation with T4 DNA ligase. Key words: Mycoplasma, DNA isolation, micromethod.

Opposite replication polarities of transcribed and nontranscribed histone H5 genes.

We used an in vitro nuclear runoff replication assay to analyze the direction of replication of the active and inactive histone H5 genes in avian cells. In embryonic erythrocytes the transcribed histone H5 gene displayed sensitivity to endogenous nuclease cleavage. In contrast, this gene was insensitive to endogenous nuclease digestion under the same conditions in nuclei of the lymphoblastoid cell line MSB-1, and histone H5 gene transcripts were not detectable by dot-blot analysis of MSB-1 cell RNA. When nuclei were isolated from embryonic erythrocytes and incubated with bromodeoxyuridine triphosphate, runoff replication from endogenous nuclease cleavage sites led to a relative enrichment for fragments near the 3' end of the histone H5 gene in the density-labeled DNA. In nuclei of MSB-1 cells or chicken embryo fibroblasts, however, runoff replication from restriction enzyme-cut sites (or induced endogenous nuclease-cut sites in MSB-1 nuclei) led to a relative enrichment for fragments near the 5' end of the H5 gene in dense DNA. Based on the enhanced incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine into origin-distal regions of DNA during the in vitro runoff replication assay, we conclude that the active histone H5 gene in embryonic erythrocytes is preferentially replicated in the transcriptional direction from an origin in the 5'-flanking DNA, whereas its inactive counterparts in MSB-1 cells and chicken embryo fibroblasts are preferentially replicated in the opposite direction.